


Little Mara Has a Question

by Oaksoul



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Catra (She-Ra)-centric, Catradorable, Comedy, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Parents Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Romantic Fluff, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 3 Spoilers, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 4 Spoilers, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:01:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24475426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oaksoul/pseuds/Oaksoul
Summary: *Spoilers for all of She-ra and the Princesses of Power* Over ten years have passed since the events of the canonical show came to an end.  Catra and Adora have a child named Mara. She's getting old enough to have some questions about what went on before she was born.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 244





	Little Mara Has a Question

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is welcome! This story was inspired by a fanart posted to the Princesses of Power subreddit. I'll link to it later if I get permission.
> 
> Edit: Here is the inspirational doodle if anyone is curious https://www.instagram.com/p/CA3epT4ppxL/?hl=en

As the first rays of the Etherian sun touched the valley encircling Brightmoon, the flora took on a magnificent hue that could not be seen anywhere else on the planet. Rich with wild magic, bright pink blossoms shown with a phosphorescence that was most radiant just after sunrise. At the kitchen table of her family cottage, little Mara was up early putting the finishing touches on her latest work, an illustration of a horse taking a drink by a waterfall. Her ears pointed straight up and angled forward as they always did when she was concentrating.

As Catra approached, she tried to stay quiet so as not to disturb her nine-year-old child’s creative process. But when she peered over Mara’s shoulder, she knew she couldn’t keep this secret for one moment longer. “Adora,” she called out to her wife. “Come see this!” 

Adora was still blinking the sleep from her eyes when she entered the kitchen. “Mara, this is remarkable,” Adora beamed. “The detail and the use of shading are very advanced for your age.”

Mara furrowed her brow. “Thanks Mom. I think it could be better though.”  Catra smirked in a way that Adora knew meant  _ gee I wonder who she gets that from? _ Their daughter had a perfectionist flair that bordered on the obsessive. 

It was decided by unanimous decree of both moms that the picture deserved its own frame and a position of honor on the mantle above the fireplace. As Adora lovingly placed the drawing beside a row of family photos, she noticed her daughter’s bushy blonde tail swishing from side to side, a tell that she had something on her mind.

“Moms, you look so happy in the pictures when you’re getting married, and from when I was little. What was it like before that, when you were first dating? You never talk about it.”

Catra’s eyes widened and her tone became somber. “Sweetie, why don’t you go play outside for a minute? Mom and I need to have a quick talk.”

Once she was safely out of earshot Adora spoke first. “Well, we knew we were going to get asked this someday,” she chuckled nervously.

“Yeah, so...where do we start? The time I took you prisoner in the Crimson Waste or the time you went berserk and tried to cut me in half with your sword?”

“Um, excuse me that happened once because you infected me with an alien rage virus,” Adora retorted. “How many times did you take me or my friends as hostages?”

Catra rolled her eyes. “Ok what about all the times you threw a tank at me? Should we include that piece of the puzzle?”

“And that maybe Mommy had to throw a tank at Mom because Mom tried to open a portal to another dimension that almost blew up the universe?” Adora’s face paled with a sudden realization. “Oh no, no no no no. We’re her only frame of reference for what normal looks like. Once she finds out about our past, she’s going to assume that’s what dating is.” 

Catra could tell that her wife was genuinely upset now, and she reached out to cup her face with one hand. “Shhh it’ll be ok.”

“Will it though? We were raised by cyborgs, actual monsters, and a floating nightmare lady in a place called THE FRIGHT ZONE. It didn’t occur to me to think  _ that _ was strange until I was seventeen!” Adora was near tears. “Mara’s spongy brain is gonna think that to fall in love, first you have to find your arch nemesis. Someday she’ll be getting ready for her first date and trying to decide if she should bring a broad sword or a battle axe!”

“Adora, you’re being silly. If anything she would want a laser cannon.” Adora chortled, and Catra pulled her into a hug. “My love, my brave blonde idiot. Don’t we have a good marriage?”

“We have the best marriage! And the best life. Each morning I wake up and remember that you came back to me after everything. I still can’t believe that I’m with you.”

“And that’s what Mara sees. That’s what she thinks normal is. That’s the standard she’ll set for her own life. Now, our courtship may have been … unconventional.”

“Literally the most unlikely series of events that ever happened or could happen-”

“But that’s not what matters. What matters is who we are now. We’re great parents. I know we can find a way to be honest with our daughter but keep it age-appropriate.”

\--------

“Sweetie,” Catra spoke to her child while holding her wife’s hand, “Mom and I would like to talk to you about something serious. We think you’re old enough to hear about how we grew up.”

“We didn’t have a house or families of our own,” Adora said solemnly. “We lived in an orphanage with dozens of other kids. And the people who ran it weren’t the best at taking care of children.”

“But we had each other,” continued Catra, “And we looked out for each other and took care of each other.”

“This next part might be hard to understand,” said Adora, “but when we got older we had a big fight.”

“Sometimes adults don’t always make the best decisions,” Catra mused regretfully. “Mom went to live with your Aunt Glimmer and Uncle Bow. And I stayed behind because...I thought that she was mad at me and didn’t want to see me.”

“And I thought that she was the one who didn’t want to see me anymore,” Adora said quietly.

“That’s dumb,” Mara noted. “How long did you guys fight?”

“For three years.” Catra’s voice cracked slightly as the words came out. “We missed out on all that time, because we weren’t honest about our feelings. And because I..I was too stubborn to admit that I was wrong.”

“But she came back to me,” Adora said with a soft smile. “All on her own. She apologized for our fight. And we both worked, every day, at making our relationship stronger and healthier. We listened to each other and supported each other, and then…”

“She saved me,” they both said in unison. 

“I guess what we mean is we saved each other,” Catra admitted while meeting the loving gaze of her beautiful wife.

“You mean from Horde Prime?”

Adora and Catra exchanged horrified glances. “Where did you hear that?”

“You guys were inside for a really long time, so I asked Swift Wind. He told me everything.”

Adora drew a sharp breath inward. Catra’s grip on her hand tightened with poorly suppressed rage. “Everything?” she asked.

“Well, not everything. I do have some questions. How exactly does a fail-safe work? Also, why didn’t you attend force captain orientation? Seems like it would have been very useful.”

A unicorn head with a fabulously coiffed mane burst into the room through an open window. “Did someone say SWIFT WIND!” said Swift Wind. “Hey guys! Wow this co-parenting thing the three of us have is going great! It truly does take a village to raise a child. Always glad to help. And I’m not too proud to accept thanks in the form of carrots and flattery.”

Catra took a deep breath and thought hard to remember Perfuma’s anger management lessons, but somehow the only thing she could think of at the moment was the location of a glue factory she knew in Dryl.


End file.
